Rick Wolfe - Why we need a Powerful Left Party Now - Part 1 Professor Rick Wolff discusses some of the reasons why we need a new left party in the United States, including the Democratic Party’s dependence on Wall Street and other big business interests; how this dependence has silenced the voices of the poor and middle class in our current political debates; and how left parties in Europe have contributed both to a stronger safety net and more egalitarian society, along with more widespread and militant resistance to corporate power. About Rick Wolff Richard Wolff breaks down the world of economics every Saturday at 12:00pm (Eastern Time) on WBAI New York's Economic Update, broadcast on 99.5 FM in NYC and online at wbai.org. Wolff is currently a visiting professor at the International Affairs program at The New School, and has been a full professor at the Economics Department of the University of Massachusetts – Amherst since 1981. He is well-known for his work on Marxian economics, economic methodology, and class analysis. In 1989, Wolff joined with a group of colleagues and students to launch Rethinking Marxism, an academic journal that aims to create a platform for rethinking and developing Marxian concepts and theories within economics as well as other fields of social inquiry. He continues to serve as a member of both the editorial and the advisory boards of the journal. Wolff received his Ph.D. in economics from Yale University. His most recent book is Capitalism Hit the Fan: The Global Economic Meltdown and What To Do About It. Rick Wolff website http://rdwolff.com/